(OPINION) What if we told you that humans have been controlling the weather — or at least trying to — for decades? This isn’t sci-fi, and it’s not just some conspiracy theory, either.
Cloud seeding is a real technology with a long and colorful history, and it’s making headlines again as people speculate on its role in today’s increasingly bizarre weather patterns.
First, what is cloud seeding? Cloud seeding is used to augment or suppress weather events, most notably precipitation. It is important to understand that this process is, for better or worse, human intervention in the weather.
Moreover, this intervention can be accomplished with planes or drones, but this is only one method of cloud seeding developed in the history of this process.
Scientifically speaking, cloud seeding introduces compounds or particles to a storm system to induce precipitation. Per Earth.org, the compound that is most commonly used is silver iodide (AgI), but others include sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), potassium iodide (KI), dry ice (solid CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), bismuth tri-iodide (BiI3), and propane (C3H8). Regardless of the compound, the released particles imitate the formation of ice crystals in the clouds, allowing for moisture to “latch onto” these artificial compounds. The weight of these “nuclei” then induces rain to fall from the clouds.
Silver iodide is the preferred chemical because its structure is quite similar to that of natural ice crystals. Furthermore, a single gram of silver iodide can induce trillions of artificial ice crystals. This is naturally a favorite compound because not only is it structurally very similar to the ice crystals, but it is also very cost-effective.
The official discovery of cloud seeding methods is credited to Vincent Schaefer and Bernard Vonnegut (yes, the older brother of Kurt Vonnegut). They separately discovered two different methods around the same time: one using dry ice to alter the heat of the cloud system and the other involving the chemical manipulation of the clouds to simulate the formation of ice crystals. In the end, however, cloud seeding is accomplished in both ways, seeking to manipulate the ice crystals in the clouds. General Electric discovered and developed these methods in 1946. Both methods are still used to this day, usually using dry ice and silver iodide, respectively.
Many of the purported mainstream uses for cloud seeding are banal, although the fact that this technology exists and has been utilized for decades is not.
According to Earth.org, cloud seeding is used by governments to supplement the water supply in drought-stricken areas, suppress extreme heat, control wildfires, and improve agricultural productivity.
On the other hand, ski resorts, insurance companies, and airports sometimes employ this technology to increase snowfall, mitigate hailstorms, or disperse fog, respectively.
Interestingly, not all applications of cloud seeding technology have been so benign. For example, the United States military used cloud seeding technology in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1972 in a project known as Operation Popeye.
According to a New York Times article published in 1972, this project sought to extend the monsoon season in North Vietnam to affect military operations during the war, especially along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
It was hoped that the increased rainfall during monsoon season would cause landslides and destroy roads, disrupting North Vietnam’s military supply chains and troop/arms movements. READ MORE
